I must have done about 30 job interviews since arriving in Jakarta and it's been an interesting experience.
People here approach interviews very differently.
They arrive on time.
This is the strangest thing of all. Jakartans are never on time, no matter the occasion. I cringe as my colleagues wander into important client presentations 45 minutes late, casually smiling as they pull up a chair. Jakartansa are even late for their most important events like weddings, dinner or prayers.
If you ask them why, they just say it was "macet" (traffic jam) and all is forgiven.
So why is it only job interviews that make the macet dissolve?
They wear their worst clothes
I can't believe how badly people dress for the interview. Men are nearly always a short-sleeved shirt and a ratty pair of pants. I have never seen a suit or tie of any description. I have seen plenty of jeans and on one occasion, thongs.
This isn't wrong - it's just confusing. For those that are successful, the clothing they end up wearing on the job is much better than what they took to the interview.
Why would they dress in their daggiest threads when they are about to make an important first impression?
They never take notes
I have only ever had one person pull out a pen and a notepad. I was impressed until I realised he was only going to use it as an arm rest.
They blab.
Long, long, long answers to easy questions. The response to "How long did that project last?" can go for 10 minutes.
It could be nerves. It could be their confidence in English. It's easier to blab on and delay the next difficult questions from the white guy in a tie.
They sing
Ask them anything about their current job, or life, and you'll get everything back.
This birdy starts singing the moment it sits down.
Ask them anything about their company, revenues, strategy and they'll give it up. Luckily most of the personal stuff is already written on the CV so you don't need to pry.
Sometimes when I get bored I use the session to see how much gossip I can extract.
They tell the truth about their salary
This is a refreshing (if poor) way to negotiate salary. Even people who want a huge increase will tell you the truth.
"Well I've been earning 14 million for some time now, so I think I would like to earn 25 million for this job."
If I wanted to go from 14 to 25, I would tell them I was currently on 22 and expecting a pay increase soon.
As the interviewer, I often respond with something like "Do you realise that this is an 80% increase?" to which I get a broad smile and an embarrassed shake of the head (no eye contact) as they say "Oh yes ... OK but negotiable lah ..."
Each time I asked a question he would take a deep breath and hold it.
When I was finished he would smile broadly, let out a loud audible sigh ("aaaaaahhhhhhhhh"), lean back in his chair and chuckle as he rolled his eyes. It was endearing in an avuncular kind of way ... like he was about to recount his old schoolboy pranks.
When he finally rocked forward in his chair he would land with both palms on the table and look me straight in the eye.
This was followed by a very long, detailed explanation which did not answer the question in any respect.
Towards the end of the interview I asked him why he was looking for a job. He smiled and told me that he had recently accepted a job with another company so was no longer on the market.
I asked him why he came to the interview. After a suck, hold, aaaaaaah, lean, chuckle, roll, rock and hand-landing he explained how he had been called in for an interview my our recruitment person, Lina. That she had made the appointment with me.
Me: "So are you still looking for a new job?"
[suck, hold, aaaaaaah, lean, chuckle, roll, rock, hand-landing] "Not yet."
